05 February 2014 :

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Kader Mollah, 65, was hanged in the first execution for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Bangladesh. Mollah was executed at 10.01 p.m. in the Dhaka Central Jail, hours after the Supreme Court dismissed his petition to review his death sentence. The Jamaat-e-Islami leader was sentenced to life in prison, after being was convicted on five of six counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes at his trial at the Bangladeshi International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), on 5 February 2013. A member of the Al-Badar militia during the 1971 Liberation War, Mollah was convicted of killing 344 civilians and other crimes. The ruling sparked nearly two weeks of angry mass protests in Dhaka and other cities. On 17 September 2013, after the 17 February amendment to the ICT law, which allowed the government, complainant, or informant to appeal an order of acquittal or order of sentencing, the Bangladesh Supreme Court found Mollah guilty of murders and other war crimes, and converted his life sentence to a death sentence. "The government has fulfilled its obligation by sending executive magistrate twice to ask him whether he wants to seek presidential mercy," Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told the Daily Star. The Attorney General added that on both occasions, Mollah refrained from saying anything in this regard. Following the court's decision, chief defence counsel Abdur Razzaq said: "Let us receive the full verdict. He can't be executed until the release of the full verdict. And we have time until 23 December for filing mercy petition as per jail code." However, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said: "The jail code will not be applicable in case of Mollah." Abdul Kader Mollah was the first person to have been executed for crimes committed during the Bangladesh Liberation War. There were objections from the UN, the governments of several countries, and international Human rights organizations on one hand and widespread support from the general people of Bangladesh for the execution on the other hand.